Crown Estate Scotland

It's the Nature of Scotland Awards ceremony in Edinburgh this evening. Congratulations to the Scottish Islands Federation for being shortlisted for the Coasts & Waters Award. The nomination is testament to the incredible work they are undertaking to tackle marine litter - something which Crown Estate Scotland is supporting with £60,000 of funding support. Read the full story below.

We’re very pleased to be announcing this commitment today, which builds on many years of working with OREC on a wide range of renewables research projects.   Andy Riley, our Head of Offshore Wind Development, said: “Adding more knowledge and expertise to support strategic collation of information to enable sustainable development of floating offshore wind is an ambition shared across the renewable energy sector, and we are pleased to play our part in this important programme of work. We believe the Environmental Interactions Strategic Programme will help tackle gaps in understanding, so that floating offshore wind projects can be developed and deployed more effectively.”

Last week, our Energy & Infrastructure team was represented at the OEUK Decommissioning conference to help build a picture of how the offshore wind portfolio will require the skills, knowledge and experience of the decommissioning sector. Our Head of Offshore Assets, Mark McKean, joined a panel to discuss how aspects of the wind sector could benefit from O&G sector experience, as part of the just transition #DecomConf24 #EnergyTransition

It's been a busy first day at the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association Conference - of which we're proud sponsors - where the Crown Estate Scotland team have been greeting delegates throughout, at our stand in the main hall. We've also managed to attend a range of speaker and panel sessions on key topics for the industry, including: - Use of seaweed as a bio-stimulant for agriculture - Key lessons for the seaweed sector, in areas such as provenance, engagement, accreditation and regulation - Deriving added value from seaweed, in areas such as sustainable packaging and pharmaceuticals Lots of great conversations on the floor and insights from the panellists have our delegates, Mike Spain, Anneli Hill, Christopher King and Elizabeth Criado-Band raring to go for Day 2 tomorrow - be sure to stop by our stand and say 'hello' if you're attending the conference.

Thank you to the Inch Cape Offshore Limited team, Smulders and Siemens Energy for a really interesting visit last week to the #HadrianYard at #Wallsend to see the #OTM2 #offshore #transformer #module being constructed there for the 1.1GW Inch Cape project, soon to be deployed in the Firth of Forth. It is valuable to see the various components up close in the yard to really appreciate the scale and complexity of this innovative equipment. Norman Morrison Meriel Lyn Anderson Crown Estate Scotland

Much of our work on seabed leasing for renewable energy - and a wide range of other activities - is informed by careful planning and guidance from the Scottish Government. The consultation referenced below provides an opportunity for stakeholders to feedback on the policy ideas proposed for National Marine Plan 2. We would encourage any individual or organisation with an interest in how our seas are used to take part in the consultation.

This week saw Scotland host #OEE2024 in Aviemore, an event which underlined the scope and scale of the opportunity for Wave and Tidal energy in Scottish waters. Maximising that opportunity will require a range of complementary efforts from across the sector - and many of these will be supported by the availability of good data. That's why Crown Estate Scotland supported a campaign of geophysical surveys in the Pentland Firth, to enable future tidal energy site development. https://lnkd.in/eWW3EZ53

Our team are back for Day 2 of #OEE2024! The programme began with a reminder of the systemic value of Wave & Tidal in delivering Net Zero and a just transition from Alasdair Allan, Minister for Climate Action, before moving into focused sessions on financing the scale-up of the sector to deliver on its potential. In his remarks, the Minister highlighted the fact that, with the largest planned tidal array, the largest tidal turbine and the only certified Wave & Tidal test centre in the world, Scotland is ideally placed to collaborate with the ocean energy sector.

It was a great week for the Crown Estate Scotland Aquaculture Team last week. Many thanks to Daniel Carcajona for hosting a site visit to the seaweed nursery and farm. Lots of shared learning and networking at the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers conference Scottish Shellfish. I also attended a community engagement event held by Mowi Scotland to hear about planned improvements to the Loch Etive sites and met James Sibley in person. Great to be a part of the Scottish aquaculture sector. Christopher King Elizabeth Criado-Band Mike Spain Crown Estate Scotland

It's been a great first morning at #OEE2024, opened by Rémi Gruet and followed by some insightful panel sessions on flagship projects and supply chain development in Wave & Tidal energy. If you're visiting the conference, stop by the #TeamScotland stand and say hello to our delegates, Tom Mallows, Carolyn MacPhee MBA AMEI, Hannah Evans and Scott Ross, who'll be delighted to speak to you about Wave & Tidal energy in Scotland.